Günter Heumann-Storp
It all started with a scooter….
“You don't get a motorcycle. Drive a scooter, it's much safer. So either a scooter or a bicycle. "I was 16 years old and I had just become the proud holder of a class 4 driver's license. A dream in the form of a moped should come true. The dream burst with the clear announcement of my father.
Well, it was better than a bike, the scooter - not my father. I also honored him for a long time and with his hair done. My father too, but with no hair. When I was 21 years old, I sold the Zündapp RS. Well cared for, of course, and still a little too fast.
I later bought a motorcycle with the money I had earned and have remained a motorcyclist with heart and soul ever since.My little motorcycle story is outlined very briefly: 38 years on the moped, around 500,000 kilometers with trips in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and England.
I didn't just use the motorcycle as a recreational vehicle, but as a fully-fledged family vehicle. With kids on the moped, a philosophy that also has its downsides and anecdotes. Incidentally, a dog never went along. He wasn't allowed to wear a helmet.I tested everything myself and not everything passed this test. You just have to admit it.I got into motorsport through a friend who was also a driving instructor. Together we organized safety training for motorcyclists at a time when this was not yet offered in almost every local ADAC group. Later I lost sight of both my boyfriend and motorsport. Motorsport had outlived itself. The friend too, he simply disappeared forever with a retread lady of his then heart.
In the early 1980s there was another group that piqued my interest, the BVDM. (Federal Association of Motorcyclists eV) The umbrella organization has just set up a new editorial team for its body, the ball horn. I became a member of the BVDM and was allowed to work in the editorial office. I had a great apprenticeship with experienced editors and motorcyclists there. Heinz Sauerland forbade the word "motorcycle". Klacks Leverkus not only coined the term “rubber cow”, but also gave me a small part of his rich experience. And Henning Knudsen was the epitome of consistency and linguistic maturity. Did I ever understand all of this? At some point I got my own editorial area for “Test, Technology and Travel” in the BVDM.
I was able to write about "Test and Technology", hopefully interesting, but the real shadow man with the corresponding technical knowledge was my friend Rainer. As a student of mechanical engineering and driving a "rubber cow", he dismantled every motor and rarely had too many screws when reassembling it later. He just didn't want to write about it.
Together we not only broke test reports on motorcycles and technical articles, but also made motorcycle trips together with corresponding reports for the association's magazine. The steep cliffs on the Atlantic coast of southern France and the rock faces of the Grand Canyon du Verdon remained unforgettable for Rainer, who suffered from vertigo. Me too, not just because of Rainer's fear of heights.
At some point I left the BVDM - and with it the editorial staff of the Ball Horn - to return to the editorial staff for almost a year in 2019. I then stopped the editorial work in 2020, because a voluntary association activity must also be based on the conviction that what is going on there is based on one's own understanding and morality. Unfortunately, I could no longer determine this with the BVDM. Initially it was the excessive complaints against route closures, in which “injured parties” had to be found first, but then their membership in the Silent Rider board of directors turned out to be increasingly problematic.
The activities of “Silent Rider” led to a Federal Council initiative which also recommends driving bans for motorcycles, which the BVDM was aware of. When the storm of indignation among the motorcyclists “caught up” with them, they pretended to have nothing to do with Silent Rider and called for petition support and membership in the federal association.
I, too, advocate low-noise and environmentally conscious motorcycling and am not opposed to the fact that all vehicles should be quieter. But not only is there a more than dangerous discussion about motorcycling, but also - bypassing all and thus many uninvolved motorcyclists - facts are created that I can neither represent nor want to represent editorially. I report independently and occasionally also critically when necessary and will continue to do so in the future. However, this prohibits current editorial support for the BVDM, as I cannot report anything positive about their involvement in Silent Rider. Journalistic independence is an essential pillar of proper reporting. Klacks Leverkus recognized that when he turned his back on the BVDM as a functionary after a brief interlude as CEO. That still applies today, and not just for Klacks Leverkus. The old motto "what bread I eat, the song I sing" is poison for journalism, at least if it does not want to limit itself to "beautiful trips".
Motorcycle trips and reports about the many trips through charming cities and landscapes of Europe will continue to enrich this platform. The innumerableI would like to pass on my impressions and experiences. Motorcycling has just as many facets as brands. There's not just one goal or one style. What unites us is the enthusiasm for the motorcycle medium, whether it is a lifestyle, a lifelong dream, travel companion or just a hobby.
Your Günter Heumann-Storpinfo@mopedtravel.de
“You don't get a motorcycle. Drive a scooter, it's much safer. So either a scooter or a bicycle. "
I was 16 years old and I had just become the proud holder of a class 4 driver's license. A dream in the form of a moped should come true. The dream burst with the clear announcement of my father.
Well, it was better than a bike, the scooter - not my father. I also honored him for a long time and with his hair done. My father too, but with no hair. When I was 21 years old, I sold the Zündapp RS. Well cared for, of course, and still a little too fast.
I later bought a motorcycle with the money I had earned and have remained a motorcyclist with heart and soul ever since.
My little motorcycle story is outlined very briefly: 38 years on the moped, around 500,000 kilometers with trips in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and England.
I didn't just use the motorcycle as a recreational vehicle, but as a fully-fledged family vehicle. With kids on the moped, a philosophy that also has its downsides and anecdotes. Incidentally, a dog never went along. He wasn't allowed to wear a helmet.I tested everything myself and not everything passed this test. You just have to admit it.
I got into motorsport through a friend who was also a driving instructor. Together we organized safety training for motorcyclists at a time when this was not yet offered in almost every local ADAC group. Later I lost sight of both my boyfriend and motorsport. Motorsport had outlived itself. The friend too, he simply disappeared forever with a retread lady of his then heart.
In the early 1980s there was another group that piqued my interest, the BVDM. (Federal Association of Motorcyclists eV) The umbrella organization has just set up a new editorial team for its body, the ball horn. I became a member of the BVDM and was allowed to work in the editorial office. I had a great apprenticeship with experienced editors and motorcyclists there. Heinz Sauerland forbade the word "motorcycle". Klacks Leverkus not only coined the term “rubber cow”, but also gave me a small part of his rich experience. And Henning Knudsen was the epitome of consistency and linguistic maturity. Did I ever understand all of this? At some point I got my own editorial area for “Test, Technology and Travel” in the BVDM.
I was able to write about "Test and Technology", hopefully interesting, but the real shadow man with the corresponding technical knowledge was my friend Rainer. As a student of mechanical engineering and driving a "rubber cow", he dismantled every motor and rarely had too many screws when reassembling it later. He just didn't want to write about it.
Together we not only broke test reports on motorcycles and technical articles, but also made motorcycle trips together with corresponding reports for the association's magazine. The steep cliffs on the Atlantic coast of southern France and the rock faces of the Grand Canyon du Verdon remained unforgettable for Rainer, who suffered from vertigo. Me too, not just because of Rainer's fear of heights.
At some point I left the BVDM - and with it the editorial staff of the Ball Horn - to return to the editorial staff for almost a year in 2019. I then stopped the editorial work in 2020, because a voluntary association activity must also be based on the conviction that what is going on there is based on one's own understanding and morality. Unfortunately, I could no longer determine this with the BVDM. Initially it was the excessive complaints against route closures, in which “injured parties” had to be found first, but then their membership in the Silent Rider board of directors turned out to be increasingly problematic.
The activities of “Silent Rider” led to a Federal Council initiative which also recommends driving bans for motorcycles, which the BVDM was aware of. When the storm of indignation among the motorcyclists “caught up” with them, they pretended to have nothing to do with Silent Rider and called for petition support and membership in the federal association.
I, too, advocate low-noise and environmentally conscious motorcycling and am not opposed to the fact that all vehicles should be quieter. But not only is there a more than dangerous discussion about motorcycling, but also - bypassing all and thus many uninvolved motorcyclists - facts are created that I can neither represent nor want to represent editorially. I report independently and occasionally also critically when necessary and will continue to do so in the future. However, this prohibits current editorial support for the BVDM, as I cannot report anything positive about their involvement in Silent Rider. Journalistic independence is an essential pillar of proper reporting. Klacks Leverkus recognized that when he turned his back on the BVDM as a functionary after a brief interlude as CEO. That still applies today, and not just for Klacks Leverkus. The old motto "what bread I eat, the song I sing" is poison for journalism, at least if it does not want to limit itself to "beautiful trips".
Motorcycle trips and reports about the many trips through charming cities and landscapes of Europe will continue to enrich this platform. The innumerableI would like to pass on my impressions and experiences. Motorcycling has just as many facets as brands. There's not just one goal or one style. What unites us is the enthusiasm for the motorcycle medium, whether it is a lifestyle, a lifelong dream, travel companion or just a hobby.
Your Günter Heumann-Storp
info@mopedtravel.de
